Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1887-08-18
DOWN TO DEATH.
One Hundred Lives Lost In q Railroad
Accident.
The Most Horrible Calamity I'm the
History OF RaIlways--Terrible
Suffering.

SoASbhhSs
PEORIA, H., Aug 1l.--An excursion
train of two engines and fifteen coaches,
with two or three hundred passengers
from this city and surrounding villages,
which left here last night for Niagara
Falls, went through a bridge at Chats.
worth, Ill. seventy-one miles east of this
place. and no less than one hundred per.
sons were killed. II is said that eight or
nine coaches were burned. The. scene
abopf the depot here this morning is ter.
rible, crowds of weeping and frantic
people inquiring for friends that were on
the Inflated train. The trouble seems to
have been that the bridge over the YER
million river was set aiire by flames that
have been raging in the locality lately
and the stringers We're so weakened that
they let the bridge down in the bed Of
the stream with ali the cars. A train Of
twelve coaches of the wounded will reach
here about ~ o'clock. Over hundred
are still at Chatsworth in the town hall,
the school house and on the platform.
All the cars but frye went through the
bridge.
The bridge through which the cars fell
"uS oman ohNb " Dttll
burned, which weakened il. Ten coaches
either went through TO the bed of the
stream, or were piled up In a promiscuous
heap, crosswise and lengthwise on the
track. So far seventy bodies have been
recovered, and none have been taken
from the cars underneath, and not even
a sound can be heard from them. 1t is
feared that all in those cars are dead.
The number killed will reach two hun.
bred. The wounded, as far as can be
asccrtained, will number one hundred and
fifty.
PEORIA, ILL.,, Aug. 11.-4;80 p, m.-The
train bearing the survivors of the terrible
accident has just come In. They confirm
the news of the awful disaster. The sur.
viyors say that the scenes at the wreck
were frightful. II took fire, and as they
had no water, they were obliged to OK
tinguish the flames with dust taken from
the prairie, While they were at work the
tornado struck them and the shrieking of
the wind added to the tcrrors of the
scene. Ii, w, White, a printer and who
lives in this city, was among the sur,
vivors and has given the United Press
correspondent full account of the bolo,
caust. He says:
Il was In the second sleeper and we
were going along about midnight when
there came peculiar jostling. ] thought
we had been dcrailed, Our porter said:
we are all right when some one said:
There is fire ahead got up and went to
the front The head engine had rushed
on. The second engine had tumblcd into
the chasm. It had telcscoped. and the
engineer was a shapeless mass. The
first car was turned across the track,
and the remaining eleven cars were telc-
scoped and piled up in one heap. Several
of us climbed in the cars with axes and
lanterns and went to work The first.
man we found was Billy Stephens, the
confectioner. He was dead. We pulled
him out after some effort and then pulled
his two daughters, Emma and Ida out
They were all dead. Everyone was groan-
ing and crying Their feet seemed to be
jammed. Most of them had their legs
broken. After an hour and half we
cleared the car. They were offering $50
each for relief. Probably there was
dozen bodies taken out. Mrs. Deal was
one of these.
81 then went down on the ground and
assisted in taking the dead down. They
put plank up and they helped them out
sliding them down the plank. If they
were dead they put them in one pile. If
alive they put them in another The live
persons seemed to want to see their fam
lilies at once. Their were in Mrs. James
Deals party five persons besides herself
Mrs. Williams, Mrs. Webster, Mrs Ball,
Mrs. and Jennie OShaughnessy. Every
one of them was killed, but the last was
horribly disfgured.
Late in the afternoon before they were
recognized, one of the horrible incidents
was man well dressed who was SO badly
injured that his bowels were protruding.
He called for water incessvely and as
he could not be attended to he finally
pulled out his revolver and shot himself
through the head. One little boy, the son
of the Methodist minister at Arlington,
Frank Snadcr, about ~ years old, was
found on the bosom Of his mother. His
left leg hung by the skin. His2right arm
was broken, and one eye was put out.
He never uttered groan. They pulled
him out and tried to give him drink of
brandy. He refused to take it. and said,
give me water found head hanging
from the trunk. 1t apparently was man s
and had been held by the hair. found
several headless bodies. Those who recog
nized the dead Immediately ticketcd them.
Coroner Brennett was on board and did
not stop work. Geo. w. Scott, the coal
man; L. Goddell, the butcher; Mr.. Zim
norman, Mrs. Valedjo. and Capt Dahl
the harbor MASTER and Fred Winnette,
the ex. county treasurer, are among the
dead.
"One of the most awful sights was
that some of the released robbed the
dead Of their watches and yaluablcs, and
1t was theory among some that the
bridge was set on fire in order to thus
pcrpetrate robberies. VIM. u. Reagan,
one of the force of the Peoria Watch
company, is among the dead. Alex.
Richardson, the engraver, trlcgraphed
that his wife and mother-in law are in
the ruins. A large number of those VINO
have been pulled out OF the wreck are
still unidentified.
"The people Of the vicinity did what
they could, The fire department turned
out, and every one rendered all tho assist.
ance possible. They opened the school
house in ChatswOrth, summoned the
physicians, and did everything in their
power"
BURLINGTON, Iowa, Aug. 1l-Amone
the passengers on the Niagara excursion
train from this vicinity were: w. ii. CRUDE
and wife. W. l.. Dinder Harry Lawrence
Chas. Carter, NJ. II. Davis and wife,
John Austin, +. Burns, Mrs. M. f. John
son and son Otis, Mrs. Stoddard and
child, West Point, Iowa; DR.. Hazen and
wife from FIT. Madison, and five from
L..